The bitter Heathrow dispute has been fired up again with new evidence commissioned by the government suggesting an extra runway at Gatwick provides greater economic benefits and less damage to health and the environment.

The government consulted for a second time on its proposed National Policy Statement for airports following complaints from councils that the original consultation had withheld important new information including the UK Air Quality Plan and new aviation demand forecasts.

In the new consultation package, it is admitted that, over the full 60-year period calculated. the benefits from a second Gatwick runway would exceed those from Heathrow.

Councillor Paul Hodgins, leader of Richmond Council, said: “An expanded Heathrow will be expensive, polluting, will take longer to build, require more public money, and destroy more homes.

“This consultation shows that the Government’s case for Heathrow is slowly fading. It's vision is at best short term. And when you look at the detail – the case for Gatwick is only getting stronger. When will the Government listen?”

He added: “There are increasing safety risks, the expansion would break the law on air quality and pollution and it would have a disastrous impact on people's health and wellbeing. It is simply not worth it.”

Richmond Council, along with Wandsworth, Hillingdon, Windsor and Maidenhead councils, have campaigned for many years against the expansion of the airport.

Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, said there would be a vote in parliament on Heathrow expansion in the first half of 2018 but an exact date is yet to be announced.

Back Heathrow executive director Parmjit Dhanda said: “It’s been over a year now and local people keep sending us the same message - it’s time to get on with it. A new runway will create 77,000 new local jobs and 5,000 new local apprenticeships, making an enormous difference to nearby communities, as well as the whole country as we negotiate Brexit."

“The TUC [Trades Union Congress] is urging the Government to build a new runway at Heathrow and the CBI [Confederation of British Industry] has recently echoed that call. At Back Heathrow we know our 100,000 supporters and most MPs want this too.”

The eight-week consultation ends on December 19.

To have your say, go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/heathrow-expansion-revised-draft-airports-national-policy-statement